Migraine Support: June is National Migraine Awareness Month

Migraine is more than just a headache. It can be a debilitating condition which has a considerable impact on the quality of life of sufferers, work productivity,and of course impact on the families. Migraines can be completely disabling, forcing the sufferer to abandon everyday activities for up to 3 days.

Often partnered with migraines:

Nausea and/or vomiting and/or diarrhea

Increased sensitivity to light (photophobia)

Increased sensitivity to sounds (phonophobia)

Increased sensitivity to smells (osmophobia)

Migraine Pounding Statistics:

• 1 in 4 Canadian households have someone effected by migraines

• One-quarter of migraine patients surveyed by Statistics Canada experienced pain that prevented activities or felt left out of things because of their condition

• Over 80% of chronic migraine sufferers in Canada are women

In the U.S., more than 38 million people suffer from migraines. Some migraine studies estimate that 13 percent of adults in the U.S. population have migraines, and 2-3 million migraine suffers are chronic.

Some more migraine stats….

91% miss work or can’t function normally during migraine attack

70% of those in a Canadian study said migraines caused problems in their relationships

69% have consulted a physician at some time seeking treatment for migraine pain

53% have severe disability requiring reducing activities or bed rest

51% said migraines cut in half their work or school productivity

***Almost half of all migraine sufferers are have not been diagnosed….I guess which goes with the next stat………

47% of people who have symptoms that meet the guidelines to be diagnosed with migraines thought they had a tension headache, sinus headache or another type of headache

24% have gone to the emergency room because the migraine pain was so severe

6% saw a doctor at a hospital for a migraine in the past three months

Migraine Treatment Approach with Dr. Finkelstein:

headache vs. migraine, episodic vs. chronic migraine

Why most migraine sufferers are women

How the workplace can minimize the risk of migraines for employees, lighting

Dr. Ian Finkelstein is Medical Director of the Toronto Headache & Pain Clinic. Dr. Finkelstein earned his Master of Science degree in Pharmacology, as well as his medical degree from the University of Toronto.He is the medical director of The Toronto Headache & Pain Clinic and coordinates the efforts of a multidisciplinary team. He lectures nationally and internationally on the topic of multidisciplinary management of chronic headache and pain.